Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 1, Episode 11 - Boom Town

Revisiting Doctor Who – Series 1, Episode 11 – Boom Town

Six months on from the Slitheen invasion…

A Welsh gentleman informs a lady (who is off screen) that they need to stop a project before it’s too late and people die. She agrees that she has no choice, and then we see it’s Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen, human-alias Margaret Blaine, or ‘the woman Slitheen’ to those of us who can’t remember any other way. She jokes about being a maniac, and then reveals it isn’t a joke as she ‘disposes’ of him, just as he speculates that it’s almost as someone WANTS the project to go wrong, and Cardiff be wiped off the map…

Cue title music…

At Cardiff train station, Mickey gets off a train – hello Mickey! I’d forgotten about him, after Captain Jack appeared to steal our hearts in the last two episodes. A wide panning shot of Cardiff shows a huge dribbling metal waterfall, and the TARDIS next to it. Mickey knows on it, only for Captain Jack to open it. Unimpressed that his girlfriend is travelling with TWO men now, Mickey muscles his way in, immediately becoming the brunt of everyone’s jokes again. He’s brought Rose her passport, although this hammers home to Mickey that she’s staying. They’re in Cardiff because the rift running through it is now a scar which can refuel the TARDIS – it’s all very exciting apparently, because they share a superhero team high-five, which leaves Mickey open-mouthed.

As they exit, Captain Jack throws around a few innuendos, and Mickey gives him one of the all-time great comebacks – ‘What are you? Captain of the ‘Innuendo Squad’? Ouch, fetch Jack some ointment. Seriously, this is up there with a toilet store. As they head off explore the city, Blaine (now Lord Mayor) announces to the press her plans for a nuclear power station in the heart of Cardiff, which will generate plenty of jobs. Everyone seems pleased by this, although Blaine doesn’t like having her photograph taken. Cardiff Castle will be demolished to make way for it. She pledges that as long as she walks on the Earth, no harm will come to her citizens – let’s hope that isn’t a cunningly disguised message to us viewers that she’ll flee just before the harm begins, because that would be really sneaky, and we don’t like sneaky people. A reporter, Cathie Salt, approaches her to say that some of the workers believe it to be cursed, and that there have been an unusual amount of deaths to do with the project.  She voices concerns that one of the people who died had posted his belief that the reactor wasn’t safe, and Blaine decides that they might need to have a more ‘private’ word in the toilet. As Cathie tells her she fears that an accident worse than Chernobyl could happen, a nuclear holocaust caused on purpose, Blaine takes off her costume. Goodbye Cathie…

Except, maybe not. As Cathie begins to talk about her husband and her unborn baby, Blaine seems to get rather emotional, reflecting on the fact that all her family died a few episodes back. She sends Cathie away, under the pretense of neading a bit longer on the loo. It's strange how those big Slitheen eyes evoke a tinge of pity. Then we remember that she was part of a conspiracy to destroy the world and sell it for profit, and we think 'Meh, haters gon' hate', and move on.

In a cafe, Jack shares a story about being naked with friends, when The Doctor snatches a paper from a nearby chap with Blaine's face on it. The gang head to the town hall to confront her, Jack immediately formulating a military-grade plan of attack, before The Doctor reminds him who's the boss around here, and gives him a verbal spanking, before going ahead with the plan. The Doctor tries to gain entry to her office, but she climbs out of the window when her aide tells her that he is here to see her, and the gang set off in pursuit.  After a short case only slightly less dramatic than the opening of Casino Royale, Blaine teleports away. One short press of the sonic screwdriver later however, and she teleports back, running towards them. She turns, teleports away...and is sonic screwdrivered back. A couple more escape attempts later and she gives up. 

Back in the council chambers and the model of the nuclear power station, they quiz her on her plan. Turns out that she's been housing some technology that will protect her following the explosion on the base of the power station model. The Doctor, however, is more interested in the fact that she has named the project Blaidd Drwg, Welsh for 'Bad Wolf'. Rose says that she too has noticed it before. They've seen it everywhere they go, and it's following them...nah, The Doctor says it's coincidence, like hearing a word on the radio and then hearing it again all day. If he says it, it must be true. Anyway, Blaine can't go back to her home planet of Raxicaricofallapatorius as she'll be executed as the family Slitheen were tried in their absence years ago and sentenced to death, which puts the gang in a moral quandry about whether to turn her in. He tries to tell her it isn't his problem, but we know The Doctor. 

Inside the TARDIS, Blaine marvels at it's technology, and once again accusing them of being her executioners if they send her home. None of them can look her in the eye. The technology she was going to use to escape will knock 12 hours off the charging time however, so time is ticking to decide. Outside, Mickey and Rose look to rekindle their relationship, planning a meal and hotel trip. I'm quite young and innocent, but I think a quiet night in front of the TV and an early night's sleep is exactly what they need. The Doctor watches them go on TARDIS-cam, looking slightly jealous, as Blaine tries to guilt-trip him again. She asks for a last meal out in a restaurant she grew fond of, and he agrees to take her. She'll be wearing special handcuffs to prevent her fleeing.

All in all, they look like they're having rather a jolly date, laughing and joking like old flames. She tries to drug his drink, but he's too canny for that, swapping it with hers. Poison dart finger doesn't work either. Nor does poison breath. Rose, meanwhile, is sharing more stories, but Mickey looks a bit troubled - he confesses that he's started seeing someone, and Rose says that's good, in a manner completely unconvincing to either of them. Talk isn't much better in the restaurant as Blaine reveals she'll basically be melted to death. The Doctor points out that she'll just do it again, and that she's talking using the skin of a woman she already killed. He doesn't believe that she'll change. Outside, Mickey is still trying to get her into a hotel room, but Rose lets her jealously out about his new flame, and then Mickey lets out his emotions about how she upped and left him. I've gotta say Rose, awesome as you are, he's got a point. Back in the restaurant once more, Blaine pleads again by pointing out how she didn't eat Cathie earlier, but The Doctor won't budge - every so often, a killer lets someone go, and uses it to justify why they should be forgiven. Blaine points out, however, that this sounds like it comes from a killer, and The Doctor's face shows it all. She wants to be that one. Outside again, Rose thinks she hears thunder, but then changes her mind, and The Doctor hears it too, noticing the glasses and cutlery beginning to shake. The windows then all blow out and the streetlights spark out, as Mickey gets his priorities wrong by shouting at Rose about how she'll always choose The Doctor over him, whereas he really should be running after her to help rather than moaning like a wimp. 

Reaching the TARDIS with Blaine, The Doctor sees a vortex spinning into it out of the sky, and declares that the rift is opening. Entering the TARDIS, Jack tells them it just started going crazy, and The Doctor says that the whole of Cardiff is ripping open. Rose runs over the cracks starting to appear in the ground, making her way back to it, before Blaine takes her hostage as she reveals this is all her doing. The extrapolator (technology-thing underneath the power station model) was designed as a backup, to lock onto the most advanced power source and open the rift. However, as she prepares to ride the rift, one of the Tardis consoles comes off with it, exposing the heart of the TARDIS (remember this plot point for the next two episodes...) - Blaine is mesmerised, as The Doctor encourages her to look at it more intently. She thanks him, before her Slitheen body disappears leaving behind just the human skin. The Doctor doesn't think she's dead however - within the skin they find an egg, and if she is taken to a new family she might be brought up to be a wonderful person. The heart of the TARDIS is telepathic, and so she must have wanted this to some extent, which explains why in the next episode when (I'll stop now - wait for the next couple of reviews...).

The TARDIS is powered up, but Rose and Mickey have left on bad terms. Maybe things'll pick up soon. Oh well, until then, off to Raxicaricofallapatorius.

First things first, it’s good to have Noel Clarke back again. His banter with The Doctor has always been great (‘I don’t mind you hanging out with old ‘big-ears’ over there’), and he plays well off Captain Jack too, another alpha-male for him to look bad against. You can’t help but feel sorry for him with how he’s treated by the three, but he keeps proving his worth and in many ways he shows the most character growth of the first two years. Hearing Mickey, Jack and The Doctor’s fast paced testosterone-filled banter when Mickey first gets in to the TARDIS is a perfect example of how good the writing is on this show. And who couldn't laugh at his reaction to their superhero team high-five? Magic. Also, contrast Jack's athletic leap over a serving trolley when chasing Blaine, with Mickey's tumble straight into one - no wonder Rose flirts with Jack!

Rose and Mickey's relationship does start to grate a little bit towards the end of the episode, however. Whilst it's important to look at the effect Rose travelling with The Doctor has on their relationship, Mickey whines and moans a bit too much, and although it's perfectly understandable why he does, I'd rather seen him start to try and win her back than mope around. 

We also hear, for the first time in the modern series, about why the TARDIS is stuck as a blue police box. It’s a lovely little history lesson, with Mickey’s perfectly fair question about how it would surely get noticed as it’s out of place, quickly dismissed in fun fashion by The Doctor pointing out that the human race walk past it all the time. This sort of moment is top-notch, almost a sly wink to how Doctor Who can have been going for so many years without humans discovering aliens yet during the present day. All will change soon, of course...

I’ve always enjoyed little nods to the viewer, and hearing Blaine’s excuses for the deaths of the project workers are excellent. From the deaths of the French safety inspectors (‘It’s not my fault if ‘Danger: Explosives’ was only written in Welsh!), to the team from the Cardiff Heritage Committe (‘The electrocution of that swimming pool was put down to natural wear and tear!), it’s so obviously a cover up, and it made me laugh a lot. Topping the lot is the following:

Cathie Salt (reporter): And then just recently, Mr Cleave, the government’s nuclear advisor.

Blaine: Slipped on an icy patch.

Cathie Salt: He was decapitated.

Blaine: It was a very icy patch.

Also great is how Blaine's aide tells The Doctor that she is deep in paper work, only for The Doctor to reply 'She's climbing out of the window, isn't she?', and the aide to confirm this. 

I'm really very fond of the humour in the episode. As well as all the above, there's Blaine's reaction to being caught after the mini-chase:
Blaine: What did I ever do to you?

The Doctor: You tried to kill me, and blow up this entire planet!

Blaine: Apart from that?

It's full of moments like this, and I wish I could write them all down (no, I haven't done it, even if it might seem that way!), but I'll just mention how The Doctor calmly prevents all her attempts to assassinate him on their 'date'. Marvellous stuff.

Having said all that, I still can't shake the feeling that as a whole it's just a bit of filler. It's wrapped up in a story about whether or not Blaine should be taken to her death, but at the end of the day she DID try to destroy Earth, so it's a bit of a pointless argument in most respects. This isn't real life - it's a TV show with an evil alien, so of course we're going to want her punished. I enjoyed it more than the second episode, The End of the World, but it's more skippable because the second episode showed Rose's first adventure. It's important really only for the point in the following paragraph (although this could surely have been included in another episode in a slightly different format). 

Key to this series is the first on screen acknowledgement that 'Bad Wolf' has been seen elsewhere, as The Doctor questions Blaine on where she came up with the name 'Blaidd Drwg' (Welsh for Bad Wolf). They dismiss it quickly, but we know it means more than that. Not just because there's a spine tingling few seconds where the 'Bad Wolf' theme plays in the background. If you don't know which theme this is, I've embedded a clip (you'll certainly recognise it once you've heard it - it appears throughout Series 1).

Bad Wolf Sightings
As above - the nuclear power plant project in Cardiff is called the 'Blaidd Drwg' project, which is Welsh for 'Bad Wolf'. The Doctor and Rose finally acknowledge that they've seen the words 'Bad Wolf' everywhere they go, although The Doctor dismisses it as coincidence.

How It Fits Into The Series As A Whole
There are two main bits here. First is the acknowledgement of 'Bad Wolf', discussed above. The second is the discovery of the rift in Cardiff, which will play a major role in Torchwood, and at least one future Who episode. Torchwood 3 is also running from around this area of Cardiff.

Overall
The general plot and feel of the episode is very generic, but there are some fantastic bits of dialogue that are genuinely hilarious. If there was a compilation of funniest moments from the episode, I'd suggest just watching that instead.

6/10